This invention relates to a disposable medically treated insert for reception of male genitals and worn with suitable supporting means such as a supporter, brief or other undergarment for the purpose of inhibiting bacterial growth, skin irritation and suppressing undesirable odors.
In addition to the many organized athletic activities in schools, colleges and professional sports, the past few years have included the establishment of a great number of athletic facilities for individuals. The number of participants in such private athletic activities has tremendously increased. Such athletic facilities usually provide a service of laundering and care in a sanitary manner of the clothes worn by the participants including supporters, briefs, shorts, sweatsuits and the like which become soaked with perspiration and body skin discharges. In some such facilities the laundered article is personalized, returned to the owner, and not likely to be worn by others as in other group laundering facilities. In either circumstance, the purportedly clean sanitarized article may carry undesirable bacteria still transferable to the succeeding wearer of the article, whether the succeeding wearer is the same individual or another person.
While such athletic facilities may be careful in handling such articles during sanitarization and laundering thereof, it is still possible that such socalled clean articles may contain bacteria. When the article is again worn under conditions of vigorous activity producing perspiration and body heat, growth of bacteria, fungus and other undesirable skin irritation may again rapidly occur.
Prior proposed devices relating to the care of this region of the human body have included a medicated sanitary pad as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,989,686; a suspensory bandage employing a penis receptacle as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 713,318; a disposable athletic supporter as disclosd in U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,336 in which a material such as "handi-Wipes" is used to absorb quantities of fluid; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,059 in which a brief or nether garment is provided with a soft non-bunching air permeable crotch panel. The sanitary pad of U.S. Pat. No. 1,989,686 was attached by safety pins to a band; the suspensory bandage of U.S. Pat. No. 713,318 was complicated in structure and not disposable; the disposable athletic supporter of U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,336 involved a nonwoven material designed according to preferential directions of strength and resilience at right angles, pleating of a waistband and a complex construction of a supporter. These prior proposed devices approach the problem of medically caring for the male genital area in a manner quite different than the disposable medicated treated insert member of this invention.